How To Write A poem

A common question asked is: how do I prevent my poetry from

sounding dull or looking like a series of sentences on a page rather

than a poem? And that is one of the challenges we face when we want

to learn how to write a poem. How, when we sit down to write our poetry,

do we change it from literal language to figurative language?

One of the easiest ways is to use of figures of speech. Figures of speech

give emphasis and provides a freshness of expression, or clarity to literal

language. You can make your poem more interesting, and descriptive.

The language takes on more color and becomes more alive.

The poet can hold the readers interest more when he uses some

of these tools available to them.

So lets consider some of these things that we can use to 'add some zing'

to our words. As an example look at the following quote.

'The horse raced across the land'.

If we add some figures of speech to the line .

'Like a speedy gazelle the horse raced across the green pastures'.

Reads better? Paints better pictures?

By using figures of speech, dimensions and depth are added to the

sentence. Below is a list of the more common forms used to make

language more figurative. Whilst this is not a complete list, it lists

most of the more common forms that we use everyday in our speech,

probably most times without recognizing that we do.

Metaphor

It compares two things saying one is the other

'all the worlds a stage'

If you call a small child a 'rug rat' or a lazy person a 'couch potato' you are

using metaphorical language.

Simile

Where a metaphor uses indirect comparisons similes use direct

comparisons where one object or thing is directly compared to

another, using words 'like', 'as', 'as if'.

If Shakespeare had said 'all the world is "like" a stage' he would

have been using a simile.

The below are similes.

'he fights like a lion'

'she swims like a fish'

'shes as fast as a cheetah'

Tautology

Simply means saying the same thing twice or the repetition of

the same word more than once.

' a friend in need is a friend indeed'

It also includes saying the same thing using a different word.

'she is a female woman doctor'

'free gift'

'in this day and age'

Hyperbole

Is over stated or exaggerated language that distorts facts and

make things seem bigger than they are. Its often used with

similes and metaphors because it often compares two objects.

'Ive told you a thousand times'

'a city overflowing with rats'

Alliteration

Alliteration simply implies the repetition of the same sound

or letter that, generally, is at the start of a word. Well recognized

examples of alliteration would be tongue twisters.

'Possibly the papaya punch is past its prime'

'She sells sea shells by the sea shore'

Personification

A representation of an abstract quality or idea as a person, metaphorically.

'The leaves danced across the forest floor with the wind'

'The moon smiled at me from above'

Aphorism

Is a sentence or remark that conveys the truth about something,

often in a witty way.

'If you see the teeth of the lion, don't think the lion is smiling at you'

'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'

Euphemism

Is the substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in

place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to

the reader.

D.H.Lawrence called an orgasm a 'crisis' in the example below

'Miss Plimpington! where are you, young harlot?

She can't talk now, love, She's having a crisis!'

'alcohol-related, single-car crash for drunk driver'

'preloved furniture for old, worn out furniture'

Onomatopoeia

Is the creation or use of words that sound like the items or actions

they name or refer to.

'Baa Baa Black Sheep'

'The rustling of the leaves'

'Bang! went the drums, Crash! went the cymbals

Oxymoron

An oxymoron is a phrase that usually combines two normally

contradictory terms.

'dark with excessive bright' Milton

'And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true' Tennyson

Litotes

Generally used in a humorous context, litotes create an impact

by denying the opposite of what is true.

' The grave's a fine a private place. But none, I think, do there

embrace'. Marvel

' Einstein is not a bad mathematician'

Synecdoche

Uses either the part of an object to describe the whole or

vice versa, or expresses more or less than it literally denotes.

'The world treated him badly'

(the whole world did not treat him badly only a part)

'The face that launched a thousand ships' Marlowe

Anaphora

The beginning of words or phrases at the beginning of successive

clauses

'I'm not afraid to die, I'm not afraid to live, I'm not afraid to fail,

I'm not afraid to succeed' Friedman

'We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the ground, etc' Churchill

Paradox

A seemingly contradictory statement at first reading, but on a deeper

reading makes sense

'Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again' C S Lewis

'If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness' Alexander Smith

Chiasmus

A verbal pattern where the second half of an expression is balanced against

the first but with the parts reversed.

'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' Shakespeare's

'Dont sweat petty things, and dont pet sweaty things'

There are many others, these are the ones most widely used. As you

have seen they are very powerful tools at the disposal of the writer or those

wanting to learn how to write a poem.

The use of these tools play a large part in separating prose from poetry

and are what helps to bring the written word on the page to life.

Try this interesting exercise: Choose one of your poems from the past

and add in some of the ingredients from above and then observe the

difference. You will notice that you are still saying the same thing but

now your words will have so much more meaning and power.

In my book I go into far greater detail with some of these and give you

exercises and tools to help incorporate them more easily into your poetry.

Author David Cook http://www.howtowritepoem.com